Wardrobe dress-trunk.



No. 838,621. PATENTED DEC. 18, 1906. E. W. HAWLEY & G. H. WHBARY.

WARDROBE DRESS TRUNK. "APILIUATIOH FILED 00121;. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

w E. B i MN RN h N MN e a N w a 2 w n \W Witnesses Attorneys 1: NORRIS PETERS 50., wAsnmm-cm, 0.1:

PATENTED DEC; 18, 1906.

APPLIOATION FILED 00114. 19 05,.

s sums-sum 2.

'E. w. HAWLBY & G. H. WHEARY.

' WARDROBE DRESS TRUNK PATENTED DEC. 18, 1906. E. W. HAWLEY & G. H. WH'EARY.

WARDROBE DRESS TRUNK. APPLICATION I'ILED 00T.14, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

zywz Wazy-Ze' N QM QM waiyefiifiear Witnesses lnven ors At'tomeys n: NORRIS PETERS 00.. w asmnm'cw. a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE W. HAWLEY, OF MILWAUKEE, AND GEORGE H. WHEARY, RAGINE, WISCONSIN.

WARDROBE DRESS-TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 1906.

To all 1071/0717, it may concern:

Be it known that we, EUGENE WV. HAw LEY, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and GEORGE E. l/VHEARY, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine, State of Visconsin, citizens of the United States, have invented a new and useful Vardrobe Dress-Trunk, of which the following is a specification This invention relates to trunks, and has for its object to provide certain new and useful improvements in what are commonly known as "wardrobe-trunks, whereby the several compartments of the trunk are inclividually accessible and the capacity of the trunk is not diminished.

It is, moreover, designed to provide a novel mounting of the wardrobe-section which may be conveniently swung up into position for access to the contents thereof.

Another object of the invention is to effectually lock the wardrobe-section when projected above the top of the trunk, so as to prevent accidental. displacement thereof. The wardrobe-section is also arranged to be conveniently removed from the trunk whenever desired without requiring any dismantling of the trunk or the removal of any of the other parts thereof.

A still further object of the invention is to equip the trunk with a drawer which may be. conveniently drawn out without necessitating the opening of the wardrobe-section.

it is also proposed to furnish a trunk of the ordinary dresstrunk size which may be immediately transformed into a wardrobe dress-trunk, allowing garments of the longest length to be hung or suspended in the trunk full length when the wardrobe-section is extended.

lNith these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be herein.- after more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trunk embodying the features of the present invention, the lid and the hinged end section being open and a portion of the front of the trunk being broken away to ex pose the interior arrangement thereof. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the lid open and the wardrobe-section swung upwardly into position for access thereto. Fig. 8 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 2, showing the hinged end section open and the drawer drawn out and supported upon said hinged section. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail elevation showing the supporting means for one side of the wardrobe-section. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the wardrobe-supporting means at the opposite side thereof. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken through the upper end of the wardrobe-section to show the brackets for the support of garmenthangers. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken transversely through the bracket forthe'support of garment-hangers.

Like characters of reference mdicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The present invention includes a trunkbody 1 of any approved or conventional form and a hinged lid 2. One end of the trunk has a fixed end section 3 andan upper swinging end section 4, which is connected to the fixed end section by suitable hinges 5, each of which includes a prop or brace 6, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, for the support of the hinged end section i when let down into a substantially horizontal position. The hinged end section 4 is held in place when the trunk is closed by reason of the adjacent end of the lid embracing the top of the hinged section. A suitable latch connection is provided between the front edge of the hinged section 4 and the front of the trunk-such, for instance, as a shouldered bolt or projection 7, carried by the hinged section, a socket or keeper 8, carried by the front of the trunk in position to receive the bolt or projection, and a swinging spring-pressed link or catch 9, carried by the socket 8 and designed to embrace the shoulder of the bolt or projection 7 when the hinged end section is closed.

Within the body of the trunk and upon the inner faces of the front and back thereof there is a substantially horizontal rail or ledge 10, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, said ledges or rails constituting a track or support for a slidable drawer 11, which may be divided into compartments, as shown in Fig. 3, and

provided with a foldable top 12. Whenever desired, said drawer may be drawn out through the open end of the trunk and supported upon the hinged end section 4, as disclosed in Fig. 3. A suitable tie-bar or brace 13 connects the front and back of the trunk across the top of the open end thereof and is disposed above the drawer 11 so as not to in terfere with the convenient opening and closing of the latter. Each rail 10 terminates short of the closed end of the trunk and is supported upon a post 14. In rear of the post 14 and spaced therefrom is another post 15, and between these two posts extends a rail-section 16, forming a continuation of the rail 10, but narrower than the latter. The post 15 projects slightly above the rail-section 16, so as to form a stop to limit the inward move ment of the drawer. An open-topped receptacle 17 is received between the posts 14 and 15 at the front and the back of the trunk, the rail 16 being reduced to accommodate the receptacle and to prevent endwise looseness thereof. Between the receptacle 17 and the closed end of the trunk there is a space or compartment 18, and there is another space or com partment 19 between the receptacle 17, the open end of the trunk, and the bottom of the drawer, which compartment is accessible only when the drawer is drawn out, as in Fig. 3 of the drawings, or entirely removed from the trunk.

That portion of the trunk which is above the drawer 11 is occupied by the wardrobesection, which includes longitudinal sides 20, a top end 21, and a back 22, which is at the top of the wardrobe-section when the latter is closed down, as in Fig. 1, while the front of the wardrobe-section is open when said sec tion is swung up into its open position, as in Figs. 2 and 3. For the support of each side of the wardrobe-section there is a bracket made up of spaced upright flat metallic bars 23 and 24, secured, respectively, to a side of the trunk and an end thereof and rising a suitable distance above the top of the trunk. A cross-bar 25 connects the tops of the up right bars and is provided with an inclined slot or seat 26, intersecting the upper edge of the cross-bar and inclining upwardly toward the other end of the trunk. Each lower corner of the wardrobe is stiffened by means of an angle-bar or bracket 27, embracing the said corners of the wardrobe-section and provided with a laterally-directed headed pin 28, designed to be entered into the slot 26 through its open upper end and rest in the lower end thereof as a pivotal support for the wardrobe section, whereby the latter may be conveniently swung upwardly from its closed position, as in Fig. 1, to its upright open position, as in Figs. 2 and 3. It is of course apparent that by lifting the free end of the wardrobe-section above the tie-bar 13 and pulling forwardly the pins 28 the I wardrobe-section may be pulled out of the slots or sides 26 whenever it is desired to i entirely remove the wardrobe-section from the trunk. It will here be noted that the removal of the wardrobe-section may be accomplished without interfering with any of the other parts of the trunk and without re quiring the removal of fastening devices. By preference the free end of each side of the wardrobe-section is laterally enlarged, as at 29, or, in other words, each side is reduced from its free end-toward its hinged end, so as to prevent binding thereof upon the inner end of the drawer 1 1 when the wardrobe-section is closed. When closed, the stop a rests upon the top of the cross-bar 13 as a support. It is of course apparent that the bracket members require a space between the wardrobe-section and the front and back of the trunk, and to prevent lateral play of the wardrobe-section when the trunk is closed the inner face of each of the front and back walls of the trunk is provided with a pad 30 to engage the adjacent side of the wardrobesection and hold the same in position.

Upon reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings it will be noted that an angular catch 31 is secured to the outer face of the front side of the wardrobe-section, so as to engage the front edge of the bracket member 28 as a brace for the wardrobe-section when it is in closed position. Upon opening the wardrobe-section the catch 31 wipes upwardly across the bracket member 23 and the cross-bar 25, said member yielding under the pressure of the catch until the latter passes above said member, whereupon they snap inwardly beneath the catch, so as to support the wardrobe-section in a rigid condition when swung upwardly. The rear side of the wardrobesection is provided at its hinged end with a lateral outwardly-directed stop shoulder or projection 32, which is designed to engage beneath the adjacent cross-bar 25, thereby preventing the wardrobe-section from being pushed over backwardly beyond the end of the trunk. By the employment of a stop 32 and a catch 31 the wardrobe-section is locked against swinging movement in opposite directions, and therefore is not liable to be knocked over when. accidentally struck. In closing or folding forwardly the wardrobesection its outer side is first drawn forwardly and upwardly, so as to move the adjacent pivot-pin upwardly through the slot 26 until the catch 31 clears the front end of the cross-bar 25, whereupon the wardrobe-section may be conveniently swung forwardly into the trunk, the pin 28 sliding back in the slot to its normal position.

For the support of trousers, dress-skirts, coats, and other long garments provision is made for hanging the same within the wardrobe-section. lVithin the free end portion or top of the wardrobesection there is a slidable bracket made up of a rod 33, over-the top of which arches a flat straight bar 34, constituting a hanger which is slidably received within a guideway 35, secured to the under side of the top of the wardrobe-section. The front end of the bar is provided with a depending finger-piece or handle 36 for convenience in drawmg the bracket outwardly. Upon the bracket-bar 33 is hung a plurality of any appropriate forms of garment-hangers 37, from which long garments may be suspended within the wardrobe-section. As the hooks of the garment-holders are slidable upon the bracket 33, the garments may be closely packed in the wardrobe-section and by drawing the bracket outwardly the garments may be separated, so as to give convenient access to each and every one of them. It will now be understood that the drawer l1 terminates short of the closed end of the trunk, so as to produce the compartment 18 for the reception of the lower ends of the long garments which are suspended within the wardrobe-section. A pair of looped straps 38 are provided within the wardrobescction, so as to embrace the garments and retain the same snugly within the wardrobesection, each loop being provided with a slidable buckle 39 for convenience in drawing the loop tightly about the garments. As

shown in Fig. 3, it is apparent that a similar loop-strap may be employed in the compartment 18 of the trunk-body.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the trunk of the present invention has the appearance of an ordinary trunk when closed, and the body and lid of the trunk may be built up in accordance with the usual method of producing trunks.

Among the advantages of the present invention it will be noted that after the lid has been opened the hinged end sect-ion 4 may be let down and the drawer 11 drawn out for access thereto without requiring that the wardrobe-section be drawn up into its open position. Furthermore, the wardrobe-sec tion may be swung upwardly when the drawer and the hinged end section at are closed, as shown in Fig. 2, and may also be swung upwardly when the drawer and the end section are open, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby access may be had to either the drawer or the wardrobe-section without ne cessitating the removal of either of the other sections. Furthermore, either or both the wardrobe-section and drawer may be re moved from the trunk without impairing the usefulness thereof. When the wardrobesection is swung up into its open position, it v Another important advantage ments within the wardrobe-section are properly held therein by straps 38 when the wardrobe-section is being opened, which prevents hanging of any of the garments upon any portion of the trunk-body, and this obviates tearing of the garments when the Wardrobesection is being opened.

To prevent'upward play of the drawer 11, a stopledge 40 is provided upon the inner face of the back of the trunk, and a similar stop-ledge is provided upon the inner face of the front of the trunk, so as to overlap the top of the drawer, and thereby prevent looseness thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. A trunk having a guideway above its bottom, a drawer supported in the guideway to form a compartment beneath the drawer, a wall-section hinged at the level of the guideway to permit of the drawer being drawn outward, and means to support the hinged section in a substantially horizontal position when open to support the drawer when drawn out, the bottom portion of the trunk being accessible when the drawer is drawn out upon the hinged wall-section.

2. A trunk having a hinged wall-section, ledges leading inwardly therefrom, spaced posts beneath the ledges, a removable receptacle situated between the posts, and a drawer slidably supported upon the ledges and capable of being drawn outwardly when the hinged wall-section is open, the drawer serving to prevent upward play of the receptacle.

3. A trunk having a hinged wall-section, ledges leading inwardly therefrom, spaced uprights beneath the ledges, a removable receptacle situated between the uprights, a drawer slidably supported upon the ledges and capable of being drawn outwardly when the hinged wall-section is open, and stops carried by the trunk and overlapping the drawer to prevent upward. play of the latter, said drawer normally covering the receptacle and forming a stop to prevent upward play thereof.

4. A trunk comprising a body, a lid, a wardrobe-section hinged upon the body, and a drawer located beneath and independent of the wardrobe-section and capable of being drawn outwardly through the body when the wardrobe-section is closed.

5. A trunk comprising a body, a lid therefor, a wardrobe-section hinged upon one end of the body and facing toward the trunk when open, and a drawer working through the other end of the body independently of the opening of the wardrobe-section.

6. A trunk comprising a body, a lid hinged to the back of the body, a drawer working through one end of the body, a wardrobe-section hinged to the other end of the body and independent of the drawer, and means to sup- IIS port the wardrobe-section when closed independently of the drawer to permit opening of the drawer Without opening the wardrobesection.

7. A trunk comprising a body, a lid hinged to the back of the body, a hinged end section, a cross-bar connecting the front and back of the trunk at the free end of the hinged section, a drawer slidably supported within the body beneath the cross-bar and capable of being drawn outwardly when the end section is open, and a wardrobe-section hinged to the other end of the body and supported upon the cross-bar when closed independently of the drawer.

8. A trunk having a lid hinged to the back thereof, a hinged end section, a cross-bar connecting the front and back of the trunk at that end thereof which has the hinged section, a drawer slidably supported within the trunk below the cross-bar and capable of being drawn outwardly when the hinged section is open, a wardrobe-section hinged to the other end of the trunk, and a stop upon the free end of the wardrobe-section engaging the cross-bar to support the wardrobe-section when closed independently of the drawer.

9. A trunk having a hinged end section which is supported in a substantially hori- Zontal position when open, a drawer, and a wardrobe-section hinged to the opposite end of the trunk and supported when closed independently of the drawer, the drawer capa ble of being drawn outwardly and supported upon the hinged section when open independently of the opening of the wardrobesection.

10. A trunk having a lid hinged to the back thereof, a drawer working through one end of the trunk and terminated short of the opposite end of the trunk, there being a compartment between the inner end of the drawer and the adjacent end of the trunk, and a wardrobe-section hinged to said opposite end of the trunk.

11. A trunk having a body, a lid hinged thereto, hinge members carried by one end of the body, a Wardrobesection, and hinge members carried by the wardrobe-section and removably associated with the hinges upon the end of the trunk.

12. A trunk provided with a lid, opposite bearing-seats within one end of the trunk, and a wardrobe-section provided with hingepintles removably mounted in the bearingseats.

13. A trunk having a lid, bearing-brackets located within the trunk and provided with open slots inclined to the vertical, and a wardrobe section having hinge pintles mounted in the slots and removable through the open ends thereof.

14. A trunk having a lid, bearing-brackets Within one end of the trunk and provided with open-topped slots inclined upwardly toward the other end of the trunk, and a wardrobe section having hinge pintles mounted in the slots and removable through the open ends thereof.

15. A trunk provided at each corner of one end. thereof with spaced bracket members rising above the top of the trunk, a cross-bar connecting the bracket members and pro vided with a bearing-seat, and a wardrobesection provided with hinge-pintles mounted in the seats of the crossbars.

16. A trunk provided at each corner of one end thereof with a pair of spaced bracket members rising above the top of the trunk, a cross-bar connecting the upper ends of the bracket members and provided with an inclined slot intersecting the top edge thereof, and a wardrobe-section having hinge-pintles removably mounted in the slots.

17. A trunk provided with a pair of brackets, a wardrobe-section hinged to the brackets, a stop carried by the wardrobe-sec tion for engagement with one of the brackets to prevent movement of the section in one direction when open, and another stop carried by the wardrobe-section for engagement with the other bracket to prevent movement of the wardrobe-section in the other direction when open.

18. A trunk provided with a pair of upstanding bracket members at each corner of one end of the trunk, a cross-bar connecting the bracket members, a wardrobe-section hinged to the cross-bars, a stop carried by one side of the wardrobe-section for engagement with the under side of the adjacent cross-bar in the open position of the section, and another stop carried by the other side of the wardrobe section for engagement with the top of the adjacent cross-bar in the open position of the section.

19. A trunk comprising a body, a lid hinged to the back of the body, a wardrobesection hinged upon one end of the body and facing toward the trunk when open, and a drawer mounted beneath and independent of the wardrobe-section and capable of being drawn out through the opposlte end of the trunk when the wardrobe-section is closed, said drawer terminating short of that end of the trunk to which the Wardrobe-section is hinged to define an upright compartment between said end of the trunk and the drawer for the accommodation of garments carried by the wardrobe-section.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE 'W. HAWLEY. GEORGE H. WHEARY. Witnesses:

L. F. LAVREN, JOHN S. PRIERKORN. 

